Monday’s ad is for Blatz Beer, from 1951. The ad is part of Blatz’s “I lived in Milwaukee, I ought to know” series from the later Forties and Fifties that featured prominent celebrities, sports figures and famous folks from Milwaukee claiming to know “Blatz is Milwaukee’s Finest Beer” because they lived there, or near there, at some point in their lives. This one features comedian Sid Caesar, who was best known for his variety television series Your Show of Shows. He was born in Yonker, New York, but according to the ad, he’s one of an increasing number of celebrities doing these ads who merely visited Milwaukee.
RIP Sid, who died in Feb @ age 91 – brilliant dude! There’s a reasonable likelihood that he played Milwaukee sometime early in his career (most likely as opening act for Joe E Lewis or as a sax player in a traveling big band/combo that did fair/theater gigs), but maybe not. This ad also has the CBS plug for Amos & Andy that I mentioned in a previous comment on another Blatz ad – so maybe CBS had cut a deal to provide celebs (who’d likely have been paid “union scale” for the gig, w/CBS covering transportation & lodging if the ads weren’t being shot in NYC) as a “horse trade” for the small print plug @ the bottom.
Just my “educated guess” – getting the whole truth on these ads is pretty much impossible, given their age. Maybe a 50’s media “freak”/beer historian who’s into beer ads & who reads this newsletter can provide us further enlightenment.